Turnstile



' H. A. GERSBACH 2,309,893.

TURNSTILE Filed March 30, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 2, 1943.

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Feb. 2, 1943. H. A. GERSBACH TURNST ILE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fild March 30, 1940 INVENTOR Patented at. 2, 1943 rages TURNSTILE Herbert A. Gersbach, Malverne Park, N; Y., as-

signor to Percy Manufacturing Company,.Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 30, 1940, Serial No. 326,915

Claims.

The invention relates to turnstiles, particularly of the high type adapted to control passages under conditions where there is no official attendant on duty. Such a gate is intended to function as a complete barrier against a person crawling through and to permit passage only when released by a coin or token. There are many difficult problems involved in attempting to achieve a practical apparatus of such general character. In order to handle a large amount of traffic it is necessary to provide a patron space which may be entered readily and quickly and which will enable the patron after entry to step quickly and with a full stride. The turnstile must be capable also of accommodating persons of large size, including often, in addition, awkward packages of substantial size carried by such a' person. The factors just mentioned suggest a turnstile having a large patron space such as might be obtained, for example, with a 180 degree turnstile, i. e., one having two patron compartments inits circumference.

On the other hand, the patron space or compartment must be restricted so as to prevent normally more than one person occupying a single compartment and passing through on one token or coin. Also it may be noted that the number of patrons which may be handled in a given time is dependent largely upon the number of compartments in the turnstile circumference. The greater the number of compartments the more patrons it will pass in a single revolution. Analyzing it in another way, in general, the greater the number of compartments the less the travel required by apatron in passing through and the more rapidly the passage is accomplished.

There are other requirements to meet in a turnstile, including the avoidance of injury to patrons, as by pinching of the hands along the outer edge or catching of the heel at the bottom; also the prevention of children crawling through, particularly at an intermediate position of the turnstile or of such small persons attempting to crawl through and getting stuck part Way through.

Of particular importance also are the factors of economy in manufacture and attractiveness in appearance of the installm apparatus.

The present invention comprises a construction and arrangement in turnstiles and a method of assembly thereof which meets the above conditions in a remarkably successful manner. Nu-

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts and also the manner of constructing and assembling the parts, which will be exemplified in the embodiment hereinafter set forth and the scope of which invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a general assembly view in perspective of a turnstile construction illustrating th invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view thereof taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on a plane indicated by the line 33 in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is another horizontal section of the retary turnstile part at a plan-e indicated by the line 44 in Fig. 2.

The turnstile illustrated is of the so-called high type, the rotary turnstile part H3 being of a height in excess of a normal person. A height of about seven feet is commonly employed. Associated therewith is the outer stationary frame comprising guards H and Ho and an overhead frame part and canopy l2. There would normally be associated with the turnstile a coin or token control mechanism, and in Figs. 1 and 3 there is shown in dot and dash lines a box It; adapted to contain such a mechanism connected to the centralrpost of the turnstile in any suit- [85] able manner either overhead or under the floor.

In the present case the operating connections are'housed below the plate M and it is of importance to note that the plate H! is flush With the general floor surface I 5, and accordingly the F40] rotary turnstile partitions may extend, as shown,

merous desirable characteristics or features are achieved Without the sacrifice of other desirable characteristics.

'65; the canopy l2 of the main frame.

substantially to the floor, eliminating the possibility of a patron catching his heel thereunder particularly when taking long strides.

The turnstile has three equally spaced wings or partitions [5, comprising therefor a threecompartment l2!) degree turnstile intended to rotate in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3. Each wing or partition is of a box-like or enclosed type having substantial thickness particularly at the outer edge. The wings are secured to and supported on a central tubular rotary post I1, the upper end of which has fitted therein a bearing block provided with a'stub i8 supported in a bearing in the bracket 18 secured to Preferably the turnstile will be provided with suitable shock absorber means for easing it into home position, and in the present construction such means may be located conveniently at the top Within the casing 20.

The tubular member I! also has a suitable support at the bottom, comprising as shown a bearing block 2| fitted in the lower end and provided with or having rigidly secured thereto a stud 22. A roller bearing 23 provides support for both radial and vertical thrust. The bearing in addition is of a character which permits a limited amount of angular displacement from an exact right angular relation between the plane of the bearing and the axis of the turnstile rotor. This is of marked advantage in making installations under the uneven floor conditions usually encountered, and in view also of the fact that the rotor is normally about seven feet in height.

In accordance with the general principles of the construction, the control mechanism is connected to the central rotary support in a manner so as to permit the turnstile wings to extend prac tically to the floor. This may be accomplished by extending the control linkage from the coin or token receiver to a point around either the upper end or the lower end of the rotor beyond the desired sweep of the wings. In the present construction this control means leads down from the box l3 below the floor level and then horizontally to the lower end of the rotor. Any suitable type of locking and control mechanism may be employed for the purpose, such, for example, as that shown in the patent to Kennedy et al. 1,936,941 with suitable modification of the details to fit the installation. In the adaptation of the mechanism of that patent to the present turnstile the release lever and the positioning lever would each have their pivotal support on a vertical rock shaft within the housing I3, with the shafts extended upwardly to the coin or token means located in the top of housing [3. Fragmentary ends of a release lever 24 and a positioning lever 25 respectively are shown here in Fig. 2. The disk 26 which is integral with or secured to' the bearing support parts 2| and 22 will also be modified as to details particularly to provide appropriately for a three way turnstile instead of the four way of the patent, and accordingly will have here, for example, three equally spaced rollers 27 against which the positioning lever 25 bears in the usual manner. Further details of the control mechanism will not be discussed since the present invention is not concerned with such details, and

they may be suitably modified to meet the cir- A cumstance of the case and also types in general employed other than that shown in said Patent 1,936,941.

The rotary turnstile, despite its box-like enclosed character and irregular shape, is so constructed as to be light weight and economical in cost of materials, and requiring a minimum amount of operations and labor in assembling. In general, it lends itself remarkably well to assembling by welding operations, and the material is largely light weight but strong sheet metal shaped and bent in a comparatively simple manner to achieve an unusual shape. As specifically disclosed, the sheet metal parts comprising the boundaries of the box-like wing portions are supported by and shaped upon a series of angle iron supports which in turn are carried by small plates mounted on the central tubular member IT. A series of these spider-like central supporting plates vertically spaced along the tubular membe H are readily seen in Fig. 2. The topmost such plate 32, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, has secured thereto an angle iron construction 33 comprising three parts secured together in a generally triangular shape as shown in plan in Fig. 3, with the inner ends of the two radial leg parts secured to the plate 32. These angle irons 33 support the upper ends of rods 34. The lower ends of the rods 34 penetrate through and are supported in a similar angle iron construction 35 and central supporting plate 35. The parts just described may be secured in place by any suitable means but the arrangement is particularly advantageous for welding. The plates 32 and 36 are welded to the post H, for example, by a deposit 37 and 38 in the-sharp angle formed between the respective plates and post II. The adjacent ends of angle bars 33 are welded together and the inner ends are welded to the plate 32. The angle iron frame part 35 is similarly treated. The vertical rods 34 .are also welded to their supports at each end.

The next lower radial supporting frame M is substantially identical in shape and size to the frame 35. The succeeding lower frame parts 42 and 43 are, however, of a modified shape as shown particularly in Fig. 4. They extend outwardly a greater radial distance than that of the upper supports, and the shape is such as to give a reduced thickness of the wings at that portion. The rear surface 44 is in vertical alinement with the rear surface of the frame parts 4| and 35, but the forward face 45 is set back a substantial distance from the forward face of the upper frame parts so that the lower wing part is about onehalf the thickness of the upper part in the particular example shown. It will be understood that the supporting frame parts 4| 42 and 43 are all secured to the central post I! in a manner similar to that described in connection'with the upper supports 33 and 35. a

Below the lattice work formed'by the vertical bars 34, the wings are completely enclosed by sheet metal fastened to and conforming with the respective angle iron supports. A'particular feature of the construction is the manner in which the sheet metal may be cut and shaped to conform with the bracket supports. This will be referred to again, but it is now noted in general that a single sheet of metal 41 extends from the extreme outer edge 48 inwardly along the rear face of a wing to the post i! and continues on around to the outer edge 49 of the upper enlarged part of the next succeeding wing and likewise to the outer extreme edge 50 of the lower wing part which is set back from the upper part. A horizontal slit in the sheet material enables sections thereof to be bent at different angles to conform with the front face of a wing. The outer edge of each wing is closed by a sheet of metal 5| which follows the shape indicated at the left in Fig. 2 and which has edge portions bent around and overlapping the radial sheet member as indicated at 52 on the rear face and at 53 and 54 on the upper and lower parts respectively of the forward face. It may be noted here that the terms forward" or front as used above and throughout the description refers to the forward side of a wing in respect to its normal direction of rotation. Similarly the term rear refers to the rear side of a wing which is the side in front of a patron when passing through the turnstile.

Similarly to the application of sheet material just described, it may be applied also to the underside 56 of the upper enlarged part of the wings and may extend entirely across such enlarged part so as to be substantially coextensive with the outline of the angle iron support 4| and form a bottom for the entire upper enlarged box-like wing portion.

The sheet material is secured to the iron supports by welding, and likewise the adjoining or overlapping edges of the sheet material are joined together by welding. A welding operation under the conditions presented by the construction here, is convenient and economically performed and results in afinished assembly of smooth attractive appearance. A deposit of welding material along the edge of the overlapped parts 52, 53 and 54, for example, leaves a seam free of sharp edges.

Guard plates 58 and 59 are secured at the bottoms of the wings at the rear and front faces respectively. These may have a slight vertical adjustment if desired through the provision of such means as vertical slots 60 shown at the right in Fig. 2. These guards serve as a combined reinforcement and wear plate, and further insure that under the varying conditions of different installations the wings will be brought sufiiciently close to the floor to eliminate the possibility of the toes or heels of a patron being caught under the lower edge of the wings.

One or more push bars 6| are secured to the rear surface of each wing at a point corresponding to the upper body portion of a normal adult patron. The push bars are shaped to project rearwardly away from the face of the respective wing for a special purpose to be noted shortly.

The shapes of the wings have been described in a somewhat general manner, but will now be treated a little more in detail together with an explanation of the purpose and some of the advantages attained. The large sheet of metal comprising in substance the complete lining, front and rear, of a single patron space or compartment, is concaved inwardly at the span covering the rear part of the wing. In the particular illustration shown this is accomplished by two sections of the plate being bent at an angle to each other along a vertical line 62. The supporting angle bars are of course prebent to provide the desired shape. The sheet as it continues inwardly is suitably shaped around the central post l1 and then is bent sharply outward in a radial direction. As heretofore noted, however, the last mentioned section is split along a horizontal line and the upper and lower sections extend at different angles with respect to the main portion of the sheet, the upper portion forming the forward face of the enlarged box-like portion 65 and the lower section forming the forward face of the set-back lower portion 65 of the wing. The general shape is of considerable importance in a turnstile of this general character. It may be noted that in general the upper body portions of adult persons do not vary in size to the extent that the lower body portions vary, particularly the abdominal portions. Accordingly, the space between the push bars BI and the enlarged wing portion 65 may be made fairly small so that normally no more than one person can fit into that space. On the other hand, the lower abdominal portions of even a large person are given added space by reason of the concave shape of the rear face of the wing and also the fact that such abdominal portions will be below the push bar 6|. The legs of the patrons, and in some cases the lower rear body portions, will be below the enlarged, wing portion 65 so as to occupy primarily the set-back formed by the thinner Wing portion 66 shown particularly in Fig. 4. It has been found, for example, that the bottom 56 of the enlarged wing part 65 may be located as a practical matter at about two and one-half feet above the floor.

This set-back arrangement is especially advantageous in permitting a long, free stride and hastening the passage normally of the patron. In addition it'affords space for suitcases, for example, which normally are carried at a height such as to extend thereinto, below the enlarged wing portion 65.

It will be noted also that the radial dimension of the lower part of the turnstile is greater than at the middle and upper parts. By this arrangement the space adjacent the bottom between the outer edge of the rotor and the guard II is kept small enough so that even children or other small persons canot squeeze through, but, on the other hand, the wing is spaced amply far from the outer guard in the regions where a patron might carelessly place his hand, such that there is no danger of the hand becoming pinched or scraped.

Reference particularly to Fig. 3 will show that a patron need travel but a relatively short distance to pass completely through the turnstile. The angle of rotation is relatively small, and likewise the circumferential distance of the outer stationary guard II is quite short. Despite this short distance there is, however, no angular position in which the turnstile may be stopped and permit persons to squeeze around a wing and through the turnstile. It will be observed that various constructional factors contribute to the success of these features just described and particularly the degree arrangement of the wings with portions thereof made of different thicknesses and especially shaped. As illustrative of the relation of the parts, a machine which has proven very successful in operation has wings in which the upper part 65 subtends at the periph ery an angle with respect to the center of the turnstile of about 46 degrees, and the lower part 66 illustrated by the cross-section in Fig. 4 subtends at the periphery an angle of about 22 degrees. In connection with these there is used an outer stationary guard H in which the are from center to center of the posts 6'! forms an angle with respect to the center of the turnstile of about '75 degrees. The other guard Ila may extend through the same size or a somewhat larger arc.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A high type turnstile comprising a central support, a plurality of box-like radial wings, the lower part of the face of each wing to the rear of the normal position of a patron being set back in a circumferential direction from the upper part to increase the patron space in the lower part, and the upper part of the face of each wing in front of said normal position of a patron having a rearwardly projecting means to decrease correspondingly the patron space in the upper part.

2. A high type turnstile comprising a central supporting means, a plurality of radial wings, the front face of each wing at the portion corresponding to the upper body portion of a normal adult patron being enlarged forwardly in the circumferential direction with a set-back at the lower portion, and a. horizontal hand 'bar secured to the rear face of each Wing opposite the corresponding enlarged portion of the succeeding wing and projecting rearwardly a substantial distance at its middle portion from said rear face.

3. A turnstile comprising a central supporting means, and a plurality of equally spaced radial wings, the rear face of each wing being concaved inwardly, a section of the front face of each wing corresponding to the upper body portion of a normal adult patron being set forward in a circumferential direction from the bottom section, and a radially extending horizontal hand bar secured to the rear face of each wing opposite the said forwardly set section of the succeeding wing,

and projecting rearwardly a substantial distance therefrom.

4. A high type turnstile comprising a central support and a plurality of radial wings of boxlike character, the rear face of each wing and the front face of the next succeeding wing comprising a continuous piece of sheet material, the portion forming said front face being split horizontally at an intermediate point and the lower section bent at greater angle to said part forming the rear wing face than the upper section.

5. A high type turnstile comprising a central rotary support, a plurality of equally spaced radial wings of box-like character, the rear face of each wing and the front of the respective succeeding wing being formed of a continuous single sheet of material, the part forming said rear face being concaved inwardly away from the opposed front face and the latter being split horizontalily with the lower section bent at a greater angle than the upper section to the part thereof forming said rear face.

HERBERT A. GERSBACH. 

